Metal-shaping tool.



OM92 w H.R.eus0N.- METAL SHAPING TOOL. v

APQ'LICATION FILED MAY 22. 1914. 1,204,970. I Patented Nov. 14,1916

2 SH EETSSHEET r.

WITNESSES 1 INVENTO'R v H. R. GILSON.

v may; SHAPING TOOL.

APPLIQATIUN EILEDYMAY 2'2. 1914.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR 0 WITH ESSES To all whom "it may concern:

.1-: pistes PA ENT OFFICE.

m :a. crimson, or nsnnn, rnimsrnvanm, .essienon T narrower. METAL xonnmocompany, on rrrrrs'snnen, PENNSYLVANIA, A conronamon on PENNSYLVfiI-IIA.

Be it known that I, HENRY R. GILSON, res ding at Baden, in the county ofBeaver and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, haveinvented or discoveredcertain new and useful Improvements in"Metal-Shaping. Tools, of which improve merits the following is aspecification.

-My ,invention relates to improvements in machinery for shaping materialin the form v of a reversely curved stripv into a helically wound tubeof flexible armor fonelectrimial conductors, etc; it consistsessentially of a forniingrtoolof novel shape and function 15' and of theorganization of this formingtool with, other machine parts. V

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows the assembled machine invertical longitudinal section; Fig. 2 shows the machine in endelevation, from the right, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 showsthe forming-tool in whichmy invention centers, inside elevation; Fig.-

4 is a front elevation of thesaine tool; Fig. 5 is a view in sideelevation of the mandrel of the machine with the forming-toolsectionally shown in operative relative position to the mandrel-therelative positions,

in other words, which. the two parts suetain whenorganized in themachine. Fig. 6 is a view on much larger scale and. in longn tudinalsection through the walljof a'tube' ilormed of a specially shaped str p,coiled. in a' machine of my invention. Fig. 7 1s a viewin transversesection of the mandrel shown in Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figsfi and l, 1 is the forming-tool; itconsistsessentially of a .body in which an internalpassageway is formed.This passageway is essentially helical; it is formed by and between thecylindrical surface), and the helical surface 3,- and is open at.oneside. In other words, it is a groove whose bottom is cylindrical,whose side-wall on one side is helical and which is open on the otherside. The tool is, for assembling with the other parts, provided with anopening 4, concentric with the passageway to side; and it is also, forlike reasons. provided with an extended flange Thus,

'viewed as a whole, the tool is of ageneral annular shape: or,considering that when as- Specification of Lttersiatent.

already described, "and extending throughthe tool" from side 50,

' nnransnarme TOOL.

Patented Nov. 14-, 1916.

Application filed-May 22, 1914.' Serial No. 840,368.

although; as will hereinafter appear, and as may be observed byreferring, to Fig. 5,

it is unattached to such mandrel. The helii cal passagewayalreadydefined then is ineffect a groove formed on the inner face ofthis annulus or collar; the bottom of this groove is a cylindricalsurface, it is closed on one side by thehelical wall 3, and is open'onthe other side. It remains to he said that access is had to this grooveat its =1nner end by an opening 6 formed through the wall of theannulus, and this opening,

' as is best shown in Fig. 4, is preferably formed tangent to thecircular contour of the passageway (when vicwedin plan). As the drawingsshow, the passageway extends through something less than one completeturn or loop of the helix to which it is shapedless by the width oftheopening 6;

and opening 6 is extended into a slot open at the end. Thus it appearsthat the forming-tool engages the strip of material on one side andalong one edge and exerts its shaping stress upon those parts. Theopposite side of the material is untouched by the formingtool (thoughit. engages other parts, as will presently appear) and the opposite edgeof the strip is, so far as the forming-tool is concerned, free andunconfined-except as engagement with the strip at other points controlsthe position of the whole. c

Referring now to Fig. 1, the forming-tool may be seen in its operativeposition, with material being drawn to it. A comparison of the showingof this figure with the enlarged view'of the tool itself will make plain1 f the fact that a strip of material A suppliedfrom a suitable sourcethrough opening 6 (the tangential opening being preferably alined with.the source from which the strip v is fed) to the helical passagewayalready described, and extending beyond the passage-. way and beinganchored at its forward end against rotation in unison with the formingi die, rotation of the die (andvof the still nn' r formed portion of thestrip, in unisonv with the die) will effect a shaping. of the striplasing drawn through it and produ th ing to the left fromthe open endoihthe.tool.-

coiled article shown in Fig. 1 at B51. advanc In starting the machine,the advance end-golf the strip may be held by ,a pair of pliers;It'should he remarked of the operation that the helical passageway is soshaped as to BEST AVAILABLE COP\ give a set to a straight strip fed tothe machine. The helical wall of the passage way' 'forces the tubinforward along the mandrel as it is being i ormed and the cylindricalwallof the same passageway holds the edge of the strip in cdntact or insubstantial contact with the .mandrel and confines one edge of the stripwhile the otherj edge (onaccount of the helical shaping) is beingslightly stretched. That 15 to say,

. there is a stress of distortion exerted on the advancing strip, sothat if it were uncoiled it would no longer be straight but curvededgewise. When dealing with the soft metal ordinarily employed in makingthis flexible pipe, such ashaping of the material is not difiicult, and'it will readily be understood that such shaping has itsadvantages in affording a better and more coherent product. Not only is the advanceportion of the tube in course of shaping anchored against rotation;means are preferably provided also for exerting upon it a longitudinalpull or tension; for, while the effect of the rotating die is to causethe turns of metal to crowd outward from the open end of the die, bestresults are obtained by spreading the successhown in detail in Fig. 5.It consists essentially of a, long substantially .cylindri'al thoughpreferably slightly ta bring body 7; and since the rotation of this odyis part "of the operation of the machine, the end of the mandrel is.formed as a screw-threaded block 8, by which it may be secured toproper supporting and rotating means. (A slight taperingof the mandrelin the direc tion of advance of the coiled strip facilitates suchadvance.) This block 8 appears in Fig. 1 and itwillbe understood thatthe long mandrel body.;,extends to the left within the tube B to orapproximately to the sizing mechanism presently to be described. Thedegree of the extent of the mandrel however is not a detail, essentialto ,the invention. when the parts are. assembled, the forminghead 1surroundsthe mandrel; the space between the" two parts-is sufiicie'iitto allow the easy advance ofthe tube in right-line path over the mandrelrotating within it. As the operation of v the machine progresses, thetube as it is'yformed'passes out z t-the open end ofthejforming die and.advances along.

the body imlnclrel, The mandrel,- .as

- the mandrel.

ha: been said, rotates, and it rotates a direction opposite to that ofthe formingdie. Its surface is roughened, as for example by thelongitudinal fluting shown in Figs. 5 and 7 While the relative sizes aresuch that the tube B slipseasily oier the mandrel, the clearance-is soslight that this rotating mandrel touching the inner sur-' face of thetuba-resists its rotation, and being provided with a series oflongitudinal corrugations whose edges gripping the inner surface of thetube retards the tendency of the tube to rotate. The sizing mechanism,which as I have alreadysaid tends also to hold the finished portion ofthe tube from rotation, has the further function of crushing-spots wherethe tube may perhaps be oversized and of bringing it to uniformity. Ittakes the form preferably of a pair of shaped rolls, 9 and 10, soarranged that the passbetween them is alined with andpreferablyimmediately adjacent the outer end of These rolls then receive be tweenthem immediately from the mandrel the newly coiled tube and whilesqueezing it, so far as need be, tostandard diameter, serve also to holdthe tube from turning in response to strain from the rotating head 1.

The roll 10 serves at the same time as a bending roll, over the face ofwhich, on the farther side of the roll-pass, the tube is caused toprogress while under longitudinal tension. circular path upon roll 10 ist'urther'consolidated and set, against the tendency to un;

wind. a

It remains to describe the organization of the machine, to eli'cct thecorrelated motions already described. Two oppositely placed standards,11 and 1'2, are provided with bearing-blocks which are fli'nd cantoncenter. The b ring-block 6a ,stz'indaid 11 supports a sha 13, which issfltionary. In the bearing-block'on Standard 12 is rotatably mounted theguide-b34314, which carries theshaping-died. This guide-head 14 alsosurrounds, (for nn-Pose; of rigidity) the stationary shaft 13. On thesurface of shaft 13. adjacent theguide-head is mounted the spool 15.which is the source from which 1 the strip is drawn which itis thepurpose of the machine to fabricate. This spool 15 is mounted is Inidleratina shaft 13 and s0 is free to be driven by the'turning of theguidehead andunwind at the same time as fast as the strip is formed intoa tube. Feedrolls 1'6 an'dlT, and a runway 18 for the strip are alsomirriedby the guide-head.

Rotatably mounted within the stationary shaft 13 is a rotatable shaft'19, to the end of which is screwed the mandrel by means of the hlock 8apm the and of it. Shaft 19 pro cc ts rearufardly beyohd tht hollowshaftin which it turns, and it is held from longitudinal displacement bya retainer20, car- The tube thus, stretched in a.

lied on the standard and entering a grooved collar made integral withthe shaft. By loosening retainer 20 the shaft 13 and all that itcontains ma be drawn endwise through the bearing lock in standard 11,

and thus the drum 15 may be removed and replaced.

The guide-head 14 and the-shaft 19 (the one carrying the shaping die,the other the mandrel) may conveniently be rotatedin opposite directionsand at. desired relative speeds from a common power-shaft 21, the one bythe sprocketdrive the other by the sprocket-drive 23 and the gear-wheeldrive 24.

The sizing rolls 9 and 10 may be geared together, as shown, and drivenfrom the shaft 21 also by the worm 25 and such inter connected gearingas that shown. The roll :26, cooperates with roll 10 to shape the tubeas it passes from between rolls 9 and 10 and subject it to the bending,pulling and setting.

action already referred to. I

4 The shape of the strip in cross-section for the coiling of which thismachine is well designed is indicated in Fig. 6, where two interlockingturnsof material are shown in section. 'In the shaping operation it isthe.

portion of the strip which forms the wall of smaller diameter that theshaping-die immediately engages. It will be observed in this figure thata packing C, which may be a strand of rolled paper, is interposed in theoverlap of adjacent turns. Referring to Fig. 2, a reel '27 is showncarried by the rotating guide-head; this reel carries a supply of paperfiller which is fed into place as the strip enters the shaping-die, asindicated 5.. Fig. 1.

I claim as my invention:

I In a machine for forming flexible interlocking metallic armor from asingle re- I versely curved strip of metal, the combinaformed, wherebysaidcollar engages and elongates the rear edge of said strip to bring itto armor-forming shape.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY R. GILSON.

. Witnesses:

BAYARD H. CnRisrY, Fimxcis J. TOMASSON.

